Tires generally have a tread that is well suited for a specific vehicle application. Certain tread and reinforcement packages specifically designed for a racing truck are well known. The considerations relevant to a tire for such an application are, among others, tread configuration, reinforcement package disposition, and material composition. While existing and commercially available tires developed for truck racing to date have worked well, certain shortcomings in such tires remain. In particular, existing truck racing tire designs are deficient in several key areas.
First, the weight and material utilization in currently available truck racing tires is greater than desired resulting in a tire with less than optimal temperature and weight characteristics. Another problem is that existing tire tread designs for truck racing applications experience irregular wear in the shoulder region of the tire and offer a less than optimal indication of wear. Such irregular shoulder wear results in unpredictable performance and a resultant competitive disadvantage. There is, therefore, a continuing need for a tire providing a predictable and accurate indication of wear in critical regions of the tire.
Still a further problem is that existing tread and tire designs provide less than satisfactory lateral stability and handling and lower than desired resistance in the event of tread damage. A continuing need, accordingly, exists for a truck racing tire that eliminates or mitigates the aforementioned deficiencies.